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Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
In the NBA, things change very quickly.
For example, three seasons ago, floor-spacing big man Lauri Markkanen was given up on by the Bulls after four fairly mediocre seasons with the team, at least in contrast with his former high draft position (he went seventh overall in 2017). One year later, he was traded again, that time as part of the Mitchell blockbuster deal between Utah and Cleveland.
Now, he’d cost teams an arm and a leg to acquire – and that’s if the Jazz even decide they want to trade him, which they very well might not.
According to The Ringer, Utah would want a similar trade haul to what it got for Mitchell or for all-pro center Rudy Gobert if it does deal Markkanen:
Kevin O’Connor on Jazz potentially trading Lauri Markkanen: I’ve heard that if they were to make a deal, they’d want something comparable to what they got from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
This came on the heels of Fischer reporting that Markkanen might not be as untouchable as he was last season:
And yet the Jazz are mired in an 8-16 start, prompting several teams to phone Utah’s front office in order to gauge its willingness to move Markkanen, sources said. The Jazz are by no means expected to trade the 7-foot sharpshooter at this juncture. He’s been a true favorite of Jazz officials, sources said. But Utah has indeed left opposing executives with the sense that Markkanen is no longer untouchable in trade conversations, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Fisher went on to mention the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks as potential landing spots for the former Arizona standout.
Markkanen has developed into one of the best scoring power forwards in the league, averaging 25.1 points and 8.6 rebounds on 49.6 percent shooting (38.9 percent from three) over the past two seasons, possessing an elite face-up game and great quickness and driving ability for a frontcourt player.
His contract is quite team-friendly, too, as he’s only signed for one more season after this one when he’ll earn $18.0 million, a figure far below that of the typical All-Star. That’s all to say if Utah does decide to put him on the trade block, the offers it will get back in return will be rich and plentiful.
For what it’s worth, Markkanen himself said this week to The Athletic that he believes in what the Jazz are building and doesn’t want to see himself pried away by another team so soon:
Lauri Markkanen doesn’t want to go anywhere. Let’s get that part clear at the start. After talking with the 26-year-old All-Star forward on Saturday morning, not long before his Utah Jazz (9-17) got blasted by the Kings in a 125-104 loss in Sacramento, the message could not be mistaken. “I just want to emphasize,” he said at the end of our 10-minute chat, “that I really believe in what we’re building here with the Jazz.” Translation: He’s hoping no team comes Utah’s way with the kind of Godfather offer that leads to another relocation.
We’ll see if his wishes line up with what the 10-18 Jazz have in their plans for the immediate future.
For the latest trade rumors and salary info on Lauri Markkanen, click here.
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